India is accelerating development of renewable energy projects to provide cheap, reliable and clean power to its 1.3 billion people. The country’s per-capita on-grid electricity consumption has increased significantly over the four years; due to increased industrial activity, higher uptake of electrical appliances by residential electricity users and the addition of new consumers to the grid. During this period, the cost of electricity from rooftop PV has halved, due to fierce competition in the market and a drop in equipment prices. In contrast, average retail electricity rates have increased by 22% in the same period. This has made rooftop PV cheaper than commercial and industrial grid tariffs in all major states in India.

BP and Lightsource have announced a strategic partnership combining BP’s global scale with Lightsource’s solar expertise. BP will acquire 43% equity share in Lightsource for $200 million, with the majority of the investment funding Lightsource’s worldwide growth pipeline. The company will be renamed Lightsource BP. BP is not alone in moving away from oil and gas and towards clean energy. Anglo-Dutch Shell is purchasing electric car infrastructure companies, France’s Total is acquiring battery storage firms and Norway’s Statoil is pioneering floating wind farms.

Policy makers led by US Senator Harry Reid were present at a celebration formally recognising Switch Stations 1 and 2 solar power plants, with a combined generation capacity of 179 MWac, as fully commissioned and in commercial operation. Senator Reid stated “Less than a decade ago, Nevada’s solar energy landscape was nonexistent, but this commissioning helps fulfil the vision I had to make our state the leader in renewable energy development. A technology giant like Switch committing to using 100% renewable energy is truly visionary and grows our clean energy economy by creating hundreds of good-paying construction jobs here.”

Tata Power Solar set another landmark by commissioning an unprecedented rooftop solar project in India – a solar carport on the rooftop of the sprawling 70,000 sq.m Unity One mall, in Rohini, Delhi. The unique rooftop carport is estimated to set off 438 tonnes of carbon emissions annually. The company won the bid in an open tender process fielded by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation for multi-level car parking. The project enables the mall to earn on the unused and excess solar electricity produced. It also cuts down the need to install a second meter or an expensive battery storage system as it is directly connected to the local power grid.

With a stronger and more ambitious energy development plan, Thailand’s share of renewable energy in total final energy consumption could surpass its national target by a quarter and reach more than 37 percent by 2036, according to a new report published by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Ministry of Energy of Thailand. Renewable Energy Outlook: Thailand finds that decreasing imports of fossil fuels and increasing the share of renewables in the energy mix to 37 percent would improve energy security and reduce the cost of Thailand’s energy system by USD 1.2 billion annually by 2036.

SMA has announced that it sold more than 1GW of solar inverters into all market segments in India in 2017. SMA inverter sales in the commercial sector have doubled compared to last year, corresponding to a market share of 30%. In total, the installed SMA inverter base in India exceeds 3 gigawatts. “India is one of the key markets for SMA in the Asia Pacific region. In the last 3 years, we have seen strong commitment from the Indian government driving growing market demand in the solar sector”.

VINCI Energies has won a project that could be at the spearhead of many other similar projects for EU, Chinese and US firms. A €26.8m contract for 8 pv power plants with a combined capacity of 17 MW, to be built over a period of only 10 months. Strategically the project will diversify Senegal’s energy mix and electrify the country’s isolated regions. The power plants will use 62,850 panels overall and produce the annual energy consumption for 140,000 people. The project represents a €26.8 million investment, financed by the German bank KFW and Senelec.

A consortium led by Enel Green Power has been selected as the preferred bidder for a 100 MW solar project in Metehara, Ethiopia. Ethiopia has all the potential to become a key market for Enel’s strategy in Africa due to its plentiful renewable resources, stable regulatory framework and electrification needs. In addition, the Ethiopian Government’s ‘Growth Transformation Plan 2’ is expected to collect nearly 12,000 MW of new hydro, wind, geothermal and solar capacity in partnership with the private sector, with the aim of meeting the country’s electrification needs while diversifying its generation mix in line with the government’s energy plan for the years up to 2020.

ABB technology is supporting the development of new smart solar power systems for the city of Dubai, UAE. Dubai Electric & Water Authority (DEWA) is using the ABB AbilityTM Electrical Distribution Control System to help develop data-driven strategies that maximize year-round solar energy production as part of the Smart Dubai initiative. “We seek to promote Dubai as a smart, sustainable, and integrated city with a high-tech infrastructure to support social and economic development, as well as promote sustainable use of resources by ensuring best practices in consumption, efficiency and governance,” said his Excellency Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.

Ministers and officials representing 30 countries and organizations met in Malé, Maldives, signalling the determination of small island developing states (SIDS) to strengthen global efforts to address climate change and accelerate renewable energy deployment. “In the wake of a deadly hurricane season in the Caribbean and at a time when the resolve to tackle the climate crisis has been called into question, small islands are sending the world a clear message: we are seizing the promise of renewable energy to grow our economies today and build a better future for tomorrow,” said Thoriq Ibrahim, Energy and Environment Minister for the Maldives and Chair of Alliance of Small Island States.

The Bungala Solar One facility is part of the Bungala Solar PV Project and will have an installed capacity of 137.7 MW out of a total of more than 275 MW for the whole project, that will be able to produce 570 GWh per year. The facility will cover an area of approximately 300 hectares and will consist of about 420,000 polycrystalline PV modules mounted on single-axis tracker structures which will follow the Sun’s path from east to west; increasing the amount of energy produced by the plant, compared to PV modules with fixed structures. The overall Bungala Solar PV project is expected to become fully operational in early 2019.